Today was another amazing experience here in Peru. We left early to drive up the mountains again to Angasmarca, a town of 3000 people back up the Andes Mountain. Their road was a dirt road that had over 30 switch backs and took us 1 hour to go 27 km (17 miles) up to their village. You had the feeling of being on top of the world, with farmers growing their crops all up and down the sides of this mountain range. They have not gotten electricity yet, but the electric lines are starting to go up the side of the mountain.
As we arrived, we were greeted by the pastor of the church, who was very excited about our presence in their town. We quickly set up a little medical clinic in their school, and saw lots of children and adults with a variety of issues.
Another part of our team worked with Gary and Sue Moore, painting religious pictures and bible verses in the home of an active church member who disciples others in the village.
The last part of the team quickly got to work helping to build the tresses for the church's roof. We used tree trunks from their local trees as cross bracing and vertical bracing, keeping each tress together with 10 precious nails. Then we worked together lifting these HEAVY tresses up and moving them in place on top of their mud brick walls. It took all of us all that we had to move these and safely get them in place.
As an appreciation for our work with them and helping to buy the sheets of tin roofing materials, they provided a pig roast done in the local style: dig a hole and bury the cut up pig and LOTS of potatoes in this pit with very hot stones. Cover it all up, and let it bake with their wonderful spices. We then were provided with the local fare: baked potatoes, pork and boiled corn. It was a wonderful feast we celebrated with the others helping in this day.
Again, as yesterday, we were just overwhelmed with God's beauty in the His people in Angasmarca, and the splendor of HIS unique Andes creation. Yes, some of us were distracted from this beauty today because of driving up the narrow switch back roads with significant drop offs if we missed the turns! But the expanse of the Andes can't be described and pictures just does not do it justice...we will try to explain when we get home, but fair warning, we will probably just say the same thing: it was just incredible!
This evening, we listen to Isaac Mendosa share his testimony of being part of the rebel group in Peru called "Shining Path", but God, in His grace sparing his life 2 times as he tried to leave this movement. Now God is calling him and his family from a nice job in Pucallpa as a physical trainer/therapist to a ministry up in Angasmarca with no electricity and at least 1 hour drive to any town of size or medical attention. Isaac had helped the medical team today in some translation and some PT type of work with the folks who came for help today.
Tomorrow morning, back into 2 mini-vans, our motorcycle and our pick-up truck to head on to Pucallpa: 6+ hours away by mostly good roads!
Prayer requests: safety in travel again tomorrow; continued reduction of pain and healing for Julio; reduction of pain and healing of Van (another missionary working with us today) of kidney stones and a broken rib; continued working well together as a team; and our transition to being Pucallpa for a longer period of time and our work at Mil Palmeras and its community.
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